transcurrents

‘Win the people to defeat LTTE completely’- V. Anandasangaree

October 17th, 2007

by Lynn Ockersz

Winning the confidence of the people in the “cleared areas” by the government and restoring to them all that they have lost is a key to defeating the terror campaign of the LTTE, President, Tamil United Liberation Front, and ex-MP V. Anandasangaree reveals in this interview with ‘The Island”.

The veteran Tamil politician said that a principal tragedy affecting Sri Lanka today is the lack of fellow feeling among sections of the people as a result of escalating violence. He said that, although fortunately, ethnic violence is on the wane, fear and tension in the lives of the people are on the increase. Indicating the inadequacy of a military solution to the conflict, he said a political solution should go hand-in-hand with military action by the state.

Extracts of the interview:

Q: With the government claiming that the LTTE has been decisively weakened in particularly the Eastern Province, what role would you be playing in Sri Lanka’s current politics?

A: More than 90 to 95 percent of the Eastern Province has been cleared. Yet, there are a lot of mopping-up operations to be undertaken. Because a handful of people could trouble the government since they are a guerrilla group. What the government should do, however, is win over the people. The people should be given all that they have lost. The people should themselves feel the difference in how they suffered under the LTTE over the years and how they are being treated now by the government, through the provision of all the relief they need. The people must be won over to get precise, necessary information over LTTE hideouts etc. There will be persons who will be carrying weapons even in Jaffna, in so-called cleared areas. The LTTE would be having enough weapons concealed all over. Acquiring weapons is not a problem for them.

Q: Wouldn’t the recent sinking of LTTE arms shipments make a difference, to the group’s fighting capability?

A: That will make a big difference. It is a good thing the government has done this. They are virtually crippled. Ultimately they would need to depend on guerrilla attacks. To prevent these developments the people must be got together. Today there was an incident in one of the cleared areas. Some STF people had died and people in the area had been assaulted by some members of the Army. This is foolish behaviour. After all, the people are helpless. Such conduct would not help in winning over the people. The people should feel that the Army is helping them, rather than harassing them.

As for my role in politics, it is quite well known. I am very careful. I am not antagonising anyone. I am of the opinion that by fighting and antagonising anyone we are gaining nothing. For the last three or four years I have been on a mission. Whoever I meet, whether it be Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, I insist that a solution to our conflict must be found and this solution must be acceptable and reasonable, for us to sell it to the people, so much so that people have given up the idea of separation. Most ordinary Tamils did not want separation. It was only demanded at the political level. The ordinary people, on the other hand, wanted peace and goodwill to prevail among all communities. The role that I wish to play and will be playing would not change from the one I have been playing so far.

The UNP is under the misunderstanding that I have condemned them in a recent statement made by me. This is not true. I am one person who is most affected by their decision on the federal issue. Because I have been going around telling the people even the international community, that 49.7 percent of the electorate have voted for the UNP for a federal solution. That is almost half and I campaign for more support. So, when overnight almost the position is changed on the federal issue, the 49.7 percent I depended on is denied me and I am the most affected.

Q: Do you intend speaking to the LTTE?

A: There is no point in speaking to them. No one can talk to them. Consider how many persons have gone to the Wanni. Did anyone come out and meet them? Only some middlemen were sent out by the LTTE to speak to them. So, there is no point in speaking to the LTTE, but I speak to others to agree to a solution, the LTTE cannot reject. Although the LTTE has been attending peace talks they have never openly said that they are giving up separatism. They keep on saying that “the thirst of the Tigers is to set up Tamil Eelam.” So there is no point in talking to the LTTE on this matter.

What we should do is win over the others and make our side strong. I don’t object to the word ‘federal’ being given up because some people are allergic to the term. If they don’t want to use the word ‘federal’ it is perfectly all right. But let them at least agree not to use the word ‘unitary’ also. So that you leave it in suspense. Those who want to call the state ‘federal’ could do so; those who want to call it ‘unitary’ could do so as well. Now consider the Indian constitution. They do not call it ‘federal’ or ‘unitary’, but they are for ‘unity in diversity’. That is the slogan which should be used for Sri Lanka too.

Q: Would the position taken by the major political parties of the South, including the UNP, that maximum devolution and not federalism should be the answer to the conflict, help in resolving the National Question?

A: I have been telling the President too that simply saying “maximum devolution” would not help. You must come out openly in favour of a change. In as much as certain sections of the Sinhala people are worried about the use of the term ‘federal’, equally you have some sections of the Tamils who are very allergic to the use of the word ‘unitary’. So, I have told the President, several times, if two packages are offered, one based on the Indian model and the other based on some other model but with more powers than those devolved on the Indian model, I would still prefer the Indian model, for the simple reason that it could be easily sold. What is contained in the Indian model everyone knows.

On the other hand, if you say that what we are going to give you is much more than the powers in the Indian model, it is not going to sell. The Indian model can be marketed, the other one cannot although more devolved powers are on offer.

Q: Is three a military solution to the conflict?

A: What have they achieved so far? They say they have cleared the East, but have they completely? They haven’t. Military action should go along with a political solution. These should go hand-in-hand.

How long it would take for the government to decide which powers would be devolved? Is the All Party Conference necessary? Is the Experts’ Committee necessary? No. Two responsible persons could sit together and draft the constitution. Because it is now known to everyone what is wanted and what is not wanted.

Once you go to the people with your solution and if the people have any doubts about it, the international community could play a role in clarifying these doubts. It could say the proposals are reasonable if they are really so and that the Tamils should accept them. You have a number of countries in the international community where federalism has thrived. We may not perhaps call these federal states but define them as states where minority rights have been protected.

Countries having constitutions with these features could be studied and proposed as models for a solution. The international community too could study these constitutions and say “fine” or suggest adding this or those powers. On doing this if the international community is convinced that the government is honest about finding a solution, then it could recommend the model to the people and the people would have the courage to accept it without any reservations.

I am not saying the government is not sincere. It is sincere in finding a solution. Unfortunately there are the constraints. I don’t want to spell them out. The people concerned must adjust themselves and act according to their consciences. How many persons die daily! Everyday how many billions worth of property is being destroyed! However, leave aside the property. A limb lost could never be regained. A life lost is lost forever.

And what about the fear and tension? While I am talking to you here, an incident may occur elsewhere in which someone known to me is involved. There is tension. You cannot freely walk along the street. This doesn’t affect only the Tamils and the Muslims. The whole country is affected.

What if some lunatic plants a claymore mine on Galle Road? What about those bus incidents in the South where scores of people were affected and injured? Why should the whole country constantly live in tension, a country which should flourish?

A country which should be in a position to provide thousands of jobs to foreigners is now having its people going in search of jobs. Our economy has gone to the dogs. The fear for one’s life is pervasive.

However, I am happy that there is no communal tension now; to the extent to which it existed in the past. In the past when 12 or 13 soldiers were killed, the country was plunged into flames. Today, if similar incidents occur there is no one to rouse communal tensions.

So the tension prevailing today stems mainly from the fear for one’s life. I am one who went around the country, in the days gone by, sometimes all alone. Can I do that today? Those who are claiming to be patriots and are opposing devolution today, have not tasted the bitterness of terrorism. It is so bitter you can’t take it. You wouldn’t know how terrible terror is until you experience it.

I have lost six members of my own family to terrorism. One I lost in the London bombing, the one Lankan to die in that incident. She happened to be my brother’s lovely daughter.

What is wrong here is that people are not feeling for others. This is the massage I give the LTTE also. There are certain photographs that appear in the papers, in those newspapers supporting the LTTE. These photographs show the kith and kin of LTTE fighters who die in action, wailing, weeping and beating their breasts over the dead cadres. This is how the others who are killed by the LTTE would feel too. This the LTTE must realize. The LTTE is not sent by God to be our liberators.

In our case, when a dear one close to us is killed by the LTTE our grief is grater because an innocent person has been killed. In the LTTE’s case, a guilty person has been killed – one who has been responsible for the killing of innocent persons. The persons who weep and cry for dead LTTE cadres must realise that the grief of those who weep for those who are killed by the LTTE, is greater than their’s because the LTTE has killed innocent persons.

Q: What should be the main ingredients in a well thought-out political solution?

A: People must lead a contented life. They should have no fears. In a recent letter to the papers I have cited the case of India. Indians are very patriotic. I related the story of this old Indian beggar woman in rags, who, while roaming the streets takes out of a dustbin a torn national flag of her country. Saddened on seeing the torn flag, she patches it by using a piece of cloth torn off her tattered Saree. This proved her devotion to her country. This story brought tears to many an eye in India. Do you think we would do that here?

We say we love our country, but merely loving our country is not patriotism. We must love not only our country but its people too. I am a patriot because I love Sri Lanka and its people. Not only Tamils, but Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers and other communities also. I love everyone, irrespective of caste, creed race and religion.

Every person in Sri Lanka should be contented. If contentedness is brought about, you will find people respecting the country, its flag, its anthem etc. Many people in this country, may be even as high as 90 percent, do not genuinely love this country, its flag and its anthem. They say they do so out of a sense of form. We respect our school flags more than we do our national flag. Why? Because in school there is no tension, we are contended. We are happy that we have our own principals, teachers etc.

But if you take the country as a whole, how many persons proudly say they are Sri Lankans? A person has the right to say he or she is a Sri Lankan only when he or she loves the country and the people in it. This is one ingredient for peace.

Then, we must have at least one square meal a day for everyone. People must be categorized. There are those who do not receive any income. These persons must be provided at least the main commodities – rice, wheat flour, sugar etc.

There is hardly any communalism among our people at present. More than half the Tamil population is living among the Sinhalese. It is only some politicians who speak communal rubbish. The people in a typical Sinhala village are God-fearing, they love their neighbour, they respect others religions. Squabbles occur occasionally among neighbours anywhere but on the whole they are peace-loving.

Q: Does a climate exist in the East for the holding of local government elections?

A: When people are dying what is the point in holding elections particularly in the Eastern Province? We’ll be only losing more valuable lives. There is an armed group which is hiding in the jungles, which is acting as a terrorist group. If there are others carrying arms, they all must be persuaded to disarm. All other groups must be united, they must have only one enemy. All groups must be united against this one group which may not like to get into the democratic fold. Until such a situation, where there is trust and unity among these groups fighting a common enemy, I don’t think elections could be held. If these groups get together then around 90 percent security could be guaranteed.

Besides, the displaced must get back to their respective homes. Those people have been living for more than one year under tin roofs and under tents. Until all these persons get back to their homes and lead normal lives I don’t think the holding of an election is advisable.

Q: Does India have a role to play in resolving our conflict?

A: India has a role definitely. We have reports of a massive quantity of lethal material, such as ball razors and aluminium balls being seized by the Indian Navy. If such material had been smuggled in, the country would have been devastated. Such detections were possible on account of the alertness of the Indian Navy and the Tamilnadu Police.

I am sure our Navy got some intelligence input from the Indian Navy to destroy all the LTTE vessels carrying armaments to this country recently. Such is the help India could render.

Then there is Tamilnadu to consider, which has a Tamil population at least thrice more than our’s. The majority of these people are opposed to the LTTE and hate it for having assassinated an illustrious Indian leader, former Premier Rajiv Gandhi in Tamilnadu. But there are a few people who are like eels – showing the tail and the head – who support the LTTE. These are opportunistic politicians.

So, the moment India comes in and tells these persons, “Ok, be quiet, we’ll negotiate with the Lankan government and get powers devolved on the North-East, on the lines on which they are devolved on the Indian states”, they are silenced. People such as Nedumaran, Vaiko etc are silenced. For, they cannot ask for powers in excess of what they are enjoying in India, for us.

One must remember that India was here to help us within four hours of the Tsunami tragedy. Whenever we are in distress, they are there, whenever our security is threatened they are there, whenever there is tension in Tamilnadu they are there. The Indian government would have helped us if Nedumaran came here.

Q: Will the North-East merger continue to be a demand of the Tamil people? Why is this issue so important to the Tamil community?

A: There are people who argue that since more than half the Tamil population lives with the Sinhalese in the South, there is no need for a merger of the North-East. This is no argument. The TULF decided on the merger on account of the common interests that the Tamil people of the North-East share. It could provide for linguistic unity.

In these provinces, for example, there are more Hindu temples, more Tamils schools, more Tamil-speaking people. The Tamil-speaking people of the provinces have common interests. So we decided on a linguistic state.

I recently told a well known Buddhist priest: “Why bother about this merger. I would like to have a ‘Sinhalse as my neighbour on my right, when I live in the North-East, and a Muslim as a neighbour on my left so that I could enjoy fraternal ties with them. I could have Kiribath for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and ‘Vattalapan’ for Ramazan. We could live like friends in peace and harmony.

Q: So in this merged North-East province all communities are welcome?

A: Exactly. They are welcome. You see, the moment we attempt to tamper with the rights of the Sinhalese, the whole country would react. This is a check against abuses. The North-East would be open to all the communities, similar to how we live in the South. [Courtesy: The Island]

Entry Filed under: transCurrents News Service